Paul Thorn on his fave song; famous fight

Paul Thorn performs with his band Sunday at The Blue Rooster in Sarasota. Publicity photo.

Paul Thorn, the singer-songwriter whose roots rock can regularly be heard on WMNF (88.5), wants another shot at boxing legend Roberto Duran. Just not in the ring this time. Back in 1988 when Thorn made a living as a professional pugilist, his most famous bout came against Duran. Nicknamed “Hands of Stone,” he’s probably the greatest lightweight in the history of the sport. Thorn grew up with Duran’s poster on his wall and then at age 23 he got to fight his hero, who was mounting a successful comeback at the time.

“He won, he was the better man,” Thorn said when reached by phone at his home in Tupelo, Miss. “I came to win, but it’s a huge jump from being good and great; I was very good but I could not compete with the elite like him, he was a monster, ugh!”

Yeah, Duran won the nationally televised brawl but Thorn, who performs Sunday at The Blue Rooster in Sarasota, landed some devastating punches (see video below). The New York Post called the bout a “bloodbath.”

“We were friendly before and after the fight,” Thorn said. “All that machismo stuff he did was to sell tickets. He plays salsa music and plays congas. When my first record came out, he was going to guest on it and play congas but he had to train for a fight; there was someone else he had to whup.”

Thorn hopes to get Duran on his next record.

“I’m in a position now to try and make that happen on the right song,” he said. “I can’t whip him in the ring but maybe behind the mic.”

Not too long after brawling with Duran, Thorn made the transition from fighter to factory worker to singer-songwriter. His recording career, which includes the standout covers collection “What the Hell is Goin’ On?” that came out last year, took off with his second album, “Ain’t Love Strange.” It enjoyed heavy airplay on WMNF following its 1999 release as have subsequent albums by the former boxer. The Tampa-based community radio station has since brought Thorn to the area numerous times, including next month when he again plays WMNF’s annual Tropical Heatwave bash May 10-11 in Ybor City.

“That’s really a special place in Tampa,” Thorn said of WMNF. “When you’re an independent artist, the hardest thing to get is radio play and when they started playing me it put me on the map. It feels really good to be in that area (of Tampa Bay), on stage, and you look down and the fans are singing along and know every word.”

Thorn added, “Every independent artist wishes they had a WMNF all over the country.”

Of the many memorable songs on “Ain’t Love Strange,” the one that hits the hardest on an emotional level is the soulful, bittersweet ballad “I Have a Good Day.” It’s about a lovesick man grappling with a deadly disease. The inspiration came from a sad, true story.

“That song probably means more to me than any I’ve written,” Thorn said. “Back when I worked in the factory I had my friend Steve who encouraged me to be a songwriter. One time during our friendship his wife left him and broke his heart and then he got Parkinson’s and couldn’t stop shaking. I called him to check on how he was doing and he said, ‘Well, I have a good day every now and then.’”

Thorn put down the phone, picked up his pen and the “song just wrote itself.”

“A month after he said that phrase he blew his brains out,” Thorn said. “Even though he couldn’t take it no more, his hopeful words live on in this song. Every time I sing it I think of Steve.”